


dream any dream you want

by nightofdean



Series: adventure of dreams [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), xxxHoLic
Genre: Gen, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 12:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15606036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightofdean/pseuds/nightofdean
Summary: Bruce visits Yuuko and his dreams are made reality.





	dream any dream you want

**Author's Note:**

> title from dreams by nuages. i blame clow reed for this.

Where the hell was he?

"I think you may already know the answer to that, Doctor?"

Bruce twisted to the source of the voice, and was met with a Japanese woman lounging on a couch. Black hair spread over her breasts which were barely contained by the kimono she was wearing. An intricately decorated kimono that Bruce was almost certain wasn't meant to be worn like that.

Bruce decided to ask a question of his own. "Who are you?"

The woman gazed steadily at Bruce, her red eyes piercing into him. "Cutting down to the facts, then Doctor.” Her smooth voice carried across the yard easily.

Bruce took the small pause to examine the area, the clothesline, the wraparound porch, and high-fence. By the domestic appearance of the house, she was just a citizen. The woman probably doesn't know what he is.

"I see. Then I am Ichihara Yuuko," said, Ichihara as she took a long heaving drag of her pipe and continued, "What is your wish?"

"Wish?" said Bruce.

There was a short silence as Ichihara exhaled intricate smoke designs into the atmosphere. "Yes, a wish, Doctor. That is why you came to my shop, is it not."

Ichihara's gaze turned hard as she examined Bruce. Bruce swallowed thickly, not knowing how he got here and what Ichihara’s intentions were.

"What is this place?"

Ichihara reluctantly sat down her pipe, and like a switch flipped suddenly her full attention turned to Bruce. A small smirk spread over her lips.

"You really don't remember Doctor," at this she inhaled, "interesting, but everything is inevitable," said Ichihara almost to herself.

"What?"

"Re-do then? Yes." Now she was talking to herself. Ichihara stood (taking the pipe with her), revealing long thin legs, she entered the house not bothering to check that Bruce was following. As if she knew he would follow.

Just as Bruce entered the house, he was hit with the scent of smoke, and two young children. Just like everything so far he was hit with how surreal the children seemed, as they greeted Ichihara in sync and nodded their heads. Bruce wondered idly if the children were somehow twins but dismissed it quickly as they were completely different in appearance.

Bruce was rapidly starting to feel like Alice in wonderland.

Ichihara waved a hand at the odd children - who were named Maru and Moro respectively - and ordered them to fetch tea.

Bruce followed the strange shop owner, if only to satiate his curiosity. Ichihara led him into a living room where she was already sitting down at a Japanese style table. Bruce sat down as well crossing his legs.

Ichihara chose that moment to level a searching look at him, but didn’t speak. Bruce struggled not to break the intense gaze locked on him and tried to meet her gaze as long as possible. Ichihara’s red gaze seemed to be reading his soul, touching it even. Bruce likewise could see someone wise, and knowledgeable, but also the guilt and sadness of someone who shouldn’t be alive and knew it.

Finally as Bruce felt like he couldn’t look any longer into someone’s soul, Maru and Moro arrived with the tea.

As the tea was poured into the tea cups Bruce noticed – the most intricately decorated cups he’d ever seen – Ichihara let a small smile show.

“Be careful Dr. Banner the eyes are windows to the soul.” Without another word Ichihara took a sip of her tea. Eyes still watching Bruce.

Somehow he felt like it was true coming from her. He looked away, suddenly interested in the swirling amber of his own tea. He still wasn’t sure how he got to the shop, or what Ichihara meant by a wish. He didn’t believe in wishes.

The sound of a spoon clinking. “Do you remember now?”

Bruce looked up and saw Ichihara, still steadily watching him. Bruce’s eyes slid down to her cup, decorated finely with golden butterflies chasing crimson birds. It was her delicate hand that was stirring the spoon that mesmerized him.

He’d gone to sleep feeling hopeless.

“Sometimes dreams are more than dreams.”

Bruce felt hopeless, but maybe he could do something. Something for Thor.

“Sometimes our dreams can become so strong, they become reality.”

He wanted to give something back to Thor. He didn’t care how. What was that sound?

“What is your dream, Bruce Banner?” The sound stopped.

Bruce remembered now, he wanted to make Thor a new eye. He’d gone to bed with new ideas. Bruce’s face scrunched, but he still had no clue how he was in Yuuko Ichihara’s shop.

Bruce flinched as he felt a finger press the stressed out wrinkles from between his eyes, smoothing them away. Ichihara mouth was pulled into slight frown.

“Surely Doctor, you must have figured it out, this is not a normal wish shop.”

Bruce’s face was blank. “Then what is it? Mrs. Ichihara.”

Ichihara’s face brightened and a wide grin split her face, “Why this is a wish granting shop, Dr. Banner.”

Bruce was skeptical. Not even the stones came without a price.

“Of course, every wish has a price, Doctor.”

Bruce sucked in his lower lip, considering. Raising his brown eyes Bruce met the shopkeepers gaze. In the smoke clouded room her eyes were obscured, for a moment Ichihara’s eyes seemed to shine green, but only briefly.

Bruce brushed off the strange illusion, still unsure of the purpose of his visit, or his dream. Almost completely convinced this was a very surreal and lucid dream sequence.

“This is a dream.” It wasn’t a question. As he voiced it he felt like it became more real. Ichihara said nothing. Letting him arrive at the truth on his own.

“It is a dream, yet you’re also in my shop.” Ichihara revealed as she released a flume of smoke from between her lips.

“A dream that has become reality.” Bruce said, recalling what she said earlier.

Ichihara only nodded in agreement, letting the silence linger as Bruce considered the meaning of that. Bruce had encountered magic, aliens claiming to be gods, and Sorcerers, what was one wish granting shop compared to that.

“Are you ready to have your wish granted?” Ichihara put her pipe down, ready to hear the scientists wish.

“Yes. I want to give someone something.”

“What is it you want to give him?”

“The ability to see again, he lost an eye. It was taken from him.” Bruce didn’t mention that he really wanted Thor to be able to hope again, to smile more often, like before. This was the only way Bruce could think to achieve that.

“I see. You wish to return something forcibly taken to someone you care for. Is that right?”

Bruce’s stomach clenched, the shopkeeper was completely right. He didn’t know how and he wasn’t precisely sure how he felt about that.

“I can fulfill your wish, Dr. Banner. However, I cannot return the eye taken from your friend.”

Before Bruce could utter a word Ichihara continued.

“You will. Yet, you must do as I say, nothing more and nothing less.” As Ichihara spoke she picked up a wooden box from the table, on its front, sides, and lid were delicate celtic runes finely etched. From inside the box Ichihara took out a leather eye patch, on it were also runes, this time stitched into the leather.

“Wear this for three days and don’t take it off for any reason. Your friend will have his vision restored. Once his vision is restored you can remove it.”

Bruce took the proffered item, feeling the supple leather and raised stitching against his fingers.

“The price?”

“Call this a freebie for now.” Ichihara said, taking the remains of her tea and tapping the silver spoon against the side of the fine china. Bruce wondered if Ichihara cared at all that she was probably damaging the beautiful decoration on it.

 

Bruce jolted awake from the dream that became reality. It had been so real, felt real, smelt real. He could still faintly smell the smoke from Ichihara’s pipe, feel the leather eye patch –

Bruce held up his hand and opened it slowly. Slightly terrified that the leather would be there or that it wouldn’t, he wasn’t sure. The strap was wrapped around his fingers and Bruce was momentarily dizzy from the implication. It was real, all of it, which meant he had somehow visited Yuuko Ichihara’s wish-granting shop in his dreams, and she had granted his wish.

It also meant, Bruce realized that although Ichihara called it a freebie, it was only temporary. Bruce looked at the time, memorized it for three days from now, and put the eye patch on. Trusting in Yuuko’s ability to grant whatever wish was brought to her.

**Author's Note:**

> what will thor think of his new eye?? what is bruce's price?? why doesn't bruce remember yuuko??? find out next time on dragon ball z


End file.
